Table of Contents

Part 1- Introduction and Overview
1. Overview of the Book
2. Popular Culture as a Learning Tool in Counseling and Psychotherapy
Part 2- Diagnosis, Case Conceptualization, and Treatment Planning
3. Clinical Thinking Skills
4. Diagnosis
5. Case Conceptualization
6. Treatment Planning
Part 3- Diagnosis, Case Conceptualization, and Treatment Planning: 30 Case Illustrations
7. Child and Video Game Characters
8. Troubled Youth in Film and on Stage
9. Animated Characters
10. Adults in Television Sitcoms and Drama
11. Characters in Music, Musicals, and Advertising
12. Characters in Literature and Comics
Part 4- Epilogue and Media Resources
13. Epilogue
14. Getting to Know the Clients Through Internet Sources, Published Literature, and Film
References

About the Author

Alan M. Schwitzer, PhD, is a Licensed Psychologist and Professor of Counseling at Old

Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, Virginia. Dr. Schwitzer completed his graduate

degrees in Counseling Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and interned at

the University of Texas at Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center. Prior to full-time

faculty work, he was the Clinical Director of the Tulane University Counseling and Testing

Center and then Assistant Professor and Training Director of the James Madison University

Counseling and Student Development Center. Dr. Schwitzer is past editor of the Journal

of College Counseling and has chaired the Council of Journal of Editors of the American

Counseling Association (ACA). Currently he is a Consulting Editor of the Journal of American

College Health and Editorial Board Member of the Journal of College Student Development, and

he is on the Board of Contributors of About Campus Magazine, publications of the American

College Health Association and American College Personnel Association. Dr. Schwitzer has

published over seventy journal, magazine, and newspaper articles primarily examining college

and university student adjustment, development, learning, and counseling. He also specializes

in teaching diagnosis, case conceptualization, and treatment planning. His previous books

include Skills and Tools for Today’s Counselors and Psychotherapists: From Natural Helping to

Professional Counseling and Promoting Student Learning and Student Development at a Distance.

Among Dr. Schwitzer’s recent awards are the Ralph M. Berdie Memorial Award for Research

and Scholarship in the Field of College Student Affairs; the American College Counseling

Association’s Meritorious Service Award, and Outstanding Contribution to Professional

Knowledge Award; and the American College Personnel Association’s Lifetime Achievement

Award in College Counseling & Psychological Services, and Commission Research Award.

Woody serves on the Virginia psychologists’ state legislative committee and maintains a private

practice focusing on consultation, training, and continuing education. He lives on the Lafayette

River with his wife, dog, and cat.

Lawrence C. Rubin, PhD, ABPP, RPT-S has been, throughout his career, a licensed mental

health counselor and registered play therapist and a Professor of Counselor Education at

St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida, where he directed the Mental Health Counseling

Program and was a private practice psychologist, professional counselor, and play therapist.

Dr. Rubin is past president of the Florida Association for Play Therapy and chaired the Board

of Directors of the Association for Play Therapy. Dr. Rubin’s research interests and publications

lie at the intersection of psychology and popular culture. He has been a prolific writer

and editor. His book, Psychotropic Drugs and Popular Culture: Medicine, Mental Health and the

Media, won the 2006 Ray and Pat Browne Award for Best Anthology. His other books include

Food for Thought: Essays on Eating and Culture, Popular Culture in Counseling, Psychotherapy and

Play-Based Intervention, Using Superheroes in Counseling and Play Therapy, Messages: Self-

Help through Popular Culture, Mental Illness and Popular Media: Essays on the Representation

of Psychiatric Disorders, and Play-Based Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Autism

Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Rubin has blogged about popular culture and psychology for Psychology

Today magazine and was the Area Chair of the Division of Mental Health, Mental Illness and

Popular Culture for the Popular Culture Association.

Today, Larry is a retired Professor of Counselor Education from St. Thomas University, a

licensed psychologist, and an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Nova Southeastern University.

He remains a clinician, educator, and author at the intersection of psychology and popular

culture—and is the Editor for Psychotherapy.net. Larry recently relocated to North Carolina.

Refusing to go quietly into the night, he wanders the hills and woods of the North Carolina

mountains and plays golf … or at least he plays at it!

The authors would be glad to hear from you! They can be reached at aschwitz@odu.edu,

alpope@wm.edu, and lrubin@stu.edu, respectively.

Reviews

“A true strength of this book is that the authors are able to describe complex, abstract concepts in a practical, straightforward manner that is highly accessible for students from a variety of mental health professions. The authors should be commended for integrating detailed models for developing diagnostic, case conceptualization, and treatment planning skills into one text. Students often learn these types of clinical thinking skills in separate courses and then experience difficulty in weaving this information together to inform their work with actual clients. The authors of this book succeed in bridging this gap for students. With the use of thirty fascinating case studies drawn from popular culture and from across the spectrum of mental health concerns, students are able to see in vivid detail how diagnosis, case conceptualization, and treatment planning skills may be applied in clinical practice. The rich case descriptions help make the material come alive for the reader so that he or she remains actively involved in the learning process. I recommend this extremely practical and engaging tool for all beginning clinicians as a foundation for developing strong clinical thinking skills.”
*Laura Choate, Ed.D., LPC, NCC*

"Diagnosis And Treatment Planning Skills For Mental Health Professionals: A Popular Culture Casebook Approach is a hit. We all think about popular culture figures and wonder what they’d be like if they were real. Schwitzer and Rubin carry this concept steps further by imagining 30 pop culture figures as clinical cases, and approaches them as mental health professionals. Using the Inverted Pyramid Method as an organizing structure, the authors walk students through the process of diagnosing clients, conceptualizing cases, and planning treatment. They illustrate this method and the theories and research underpinning it through the cases derived from popular culture figures and in doing so make the material engaging, compelling, and memorable."
*Robin S. Rosenberg, Ph.D.*

“If you are interested in finding a text that creatively describes common clinical issues, this is your book! Distinguished pop-culture-in-counseling authors and educators, Schwitzer and Rubin, collaborate on this vast compilation of material to present step by step directions using often poignant vignettes within a DSM counseling paradigm. A must- read for all counselors, psychotherapists and popular culture enthusiasts!” - Thelma Duffey, Editor, The Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, University of Texas at San Antonio
*Thelma Duffy*